KTRK: Council to take up graffiti ordinance this week
KTRK-13's Mark Garay reports that Council is about to take up the latest proposal to deal with the city's graffiti problem:
It's a million dollar problem in Houston, and one you may notice when you drive down any street -- graffiti. There's a new effort to stop it. This week, Houston's city council will talk about a new ordinance designed to make those who paint and spray buildings think twice.
[snip]
"It will be against the law for minors or juveniles to purchase or possess graffiti implements," [Councilmember Adrian] Garcia explained.
That includes not only aerosol cans, but also certain pens and markers.
[Councilmember Sue] Lovell said, "There will be a fine of $500 if you do sell graffiti implements, and it will be unlawful for minors to have those implements on their person."
Under the new plan, fines will go up, depending on damage costs. Also, people who cause more than $1,500 in damage will be charged with a felony. What's more, property reported as tagged needs to be cleaned up within 10 days, whether privately or publicly owned. The current window is 30 days.
Earlier proposals included a $500 fine for businesses that do not clean up the graffiti within 10 day of being notified by the City of Houston; Garay did not mention whether that is still in the proposed ordinance.
It's also not clear if any changes are being proposed to improve the reporting system. My experience with a recent complaint was that it took two months and multiple emails to 311 and Councilmembers even to get a city inspector to go look at a defaced property in order to get the 30-day process moving along. The city's graffiti efforts are hindered both by inadequacies in the 311 system and limited manpower (for inspections of reported properties). Those problems will need to be addressed if the new ordinance is to work as effectively as Councilmembers Garcia and Lovell hope.
UPDATE: KHOU-11's Carolyn Campbell says the hefty fine for not abating graffiti within 10 days is still part of the proposal.
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Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/09/06 07:53 AM | Print |
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